guesss national report 2016: ireland€¦ · · 2017-01-31the ireland of the twenty first century...

Entrepreneurial and Career Intentions and Behaviour of Students attending

Irish Universities

GUESSS National Report 2016:

Ireland

GUESSS 2016 Report: Ireland

2

Foreword

Entrepreneurship, innovation and strategic change are catalysts to the economic and

social development of societies globally. The Ireland of the twenty first century prides

itself on being a knowledge economy and a thought leader in the areas of software,

pharmaceuticals, and financial services among others. A central ingredient to such

success is the calibre of our graduates and their contributions to both indigenous and

global corporations. Indeed, year on year our Irish education system continues to rank

in the top quartile of educational institutions globally. However, the prosperity and

continued development of our economy and society is dependent on our ability to

reinvent, rejuvenate and challenge the status quo.

Our academic institutions across the island have sought to embrace this challenge by

incorporating entrepreneurship education into multiple modules and programmes.

However, to date there has been a dearth of understanding of the entrepreneurial

intentions of students in Ireland. The GUESSS Project is an exciting research project

which allows us to profile entrepreneurship in our third level institutions and

benchmark our programmes against a global audience of over one hundred and twenty

thousand students in 50 countries. We, as academic institutions, can now speak with

some authority about the career choice intentions of students in Ireland, education

aiding student entrepreneurship, and what we know about aspiring and active student

entrepreneurs. This research also provides interesting insights about family businesses

and succession in the next generation. We expect this research to stimulate and

encourage further analysis, debate and positive action in understanding and supporting

entrepreneurship education in Ireland.

Dr. Eric Clinton

Dublin City University


3

Acknowledgements

The GUESSS Ireland team consisting of Dr. Eric Clinton and Roisin Lyons would like

to firstly offer our sincere gratitude to Enterprise Ireland for their sponsorship of the

national report (Ireland). The Irish GUESS team would like to thank all the students

who participated in our survey in 2016 and the institutions which disseminated the

survey to their students on our behalf.

We thank our colleagues on the international GUESSS team (led by Prof. Dr. Philipp

Sieger), who undertook the global research study and created the survey. Thanks to

Hussain Murtaza Arif, Siddharth Rakesh Shrivastav, Scott Galvin, Ciaran Hanton, Kate

Hellen Tyner, Vetle Vulstad, Nikhil Kumar Sharma, Sumair Rajvansh, Andre Bastie,

Arnab Mishra. Lastly, special thanks go to Martina Brophy for her editorial assistance.

Dr. Eric Clinton Roisin Lyons


4

Executive Summary

What are the career choice intentions of students

in Ireland?

Students were asked about their career plans for

the future immediately following graduation and five years after graduating. Following

graduation, the results show that the majority of students favour large and medium-

sized businesses. Five years’ post-graduation, the highest ranked career path is an

entrepreneur/founder working in my own business. When compared to the Irish results

of the GUESSS 2011 survey the results show a higher number of students intending to

work as an employee in an organisation (small, medium and large) and a lower (almost

16%) number intending to pursue entrepreneurship five years after graduation.

What are the entrepreneurial intentions of students in Ireland?

Between 13% and 15% of students strongly agreed that they are determined to create a

business in the future and have seriously thought about starting a business. Students of

Law and Economics (including business studies) were more likely to pursue

entrepreneurship directly after their studies than any other field. Five years after

graduation students of the Science of Art (including art, design, music etc.) had the

highest intentions towards founding their own business.

What factors affect a student’s perception and pursuit of entrepreneurship?

Students expect quite a positive reaction by friends, family and classmates if they told

them they intended to pursue entrepreneurship. When asked if the entrepreneurial

reputation of the university was the deciding factor of choosing to study there, 96% of

the students answered no (N=771).

What do we know about family businesses of the students and succession?


5

A sample of 309 students indicated that their parents are founders/owners of businesses

in construction (n=53); trade (n=35); architecture and engineering (n=19) and

agriculture (n=37) among others. Almost half of the students perceive this company to

be a ‘family business’. Students were asked when they intend to take over their family

business and the majority of this group (84.2%) indicated that they will succeed their

parents after five years. When asked the main reason why they may choose to take over

the family business, 53.6% of respondents noted that they wanted to ‘preserve family

harmony’. The second most important factor for the respondents was the need to

‘Secure long-term survival of the business’ (46.4%).

How is education aiding student entrepreneurship?

Students indicated positively when asked if their university encouraged students to

engage in entrepreneurial activities, and if they felt their university had a favourable

climate for entrepreneurship. However, 73.7% (N=592) of students indicated they had

not yet taken an entrepreneurship course. Only 3.9% of the student sample were

studying on a specific entrepreneurship program (N=31). Results indicated that the

most common method for delivering a course in entrepreneurship education was

through lectures (191 selections) followed by the use of workshops (149) and guest

speakers (138). International study visits (8) and hackathons (4) were found to be the

least common elements.

What do we know about aspiring student entrepreneurs?

The study found that 10.5% (n=85) of the sample are currently trying to set up their

own company. 64 of students answered questions about their upcoming pursuits; with

34.4% of students indicated they intended to set up a new venture in 19-24 months or

more. The survey also revealed that 62.5% of these students want their business to

become their main occupation after graduation. The majority of the respondents want


6

to establish a business in the Information Technology and Communication sector

(17.2%), Trade (14.1%) and Tourism and Leisure (14.1%).

What do we know about active student entrepreneurs?

There were 3.7% of the sample (n=30) already running their own business of which 28

answered follow-up questions. With respect to ownership in the company, half of the

respondents had 100% share ownership in their business. Eighteen of the respondents

(62.1%) indicated the business will be their main occupation after they graduate. The

majority of businesses operate in both the education and training, and information

technology sectors (17.9%). Student entrepreneurs indicate that the two most

significant objectives for undertaking innovative projects in their business are to open

up new markets and to extend the existing product/service range.

The 2016 GUESSS Report for Ireland is sponsored by Enterprise Ireland. Although data

used in this report is collected by the GUESSS consortium, its analysis and interpretation

is the sole responsibility of the authors. The authors, for their part, have attempted to

ensure accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this publication. No

responsibility can be accepted, however, for any errors and inaccuracies that occur.


7

Table of Contents

Foreword ......................................................................... 2

Acknowledgements ......................................................... 3

Executive Summary ....................................................... 4

The GUESSS project: Key information ....................... 9

Key Findings of International Report 2016 ................. 10

National Report Findings: Ireland ................................ 12

1. Student Information ................................................... 13

1.1 Age of students ........................................................... 13

1.2 Gender of students ...................................................... 13

1.3 Nationality of students ................................................ 13

1.4 Third Level Institutions .............................................. 14

1.5 Level of Education of Students .................................. 14

1.6 Students’ Field of Study ............................................. 14

1.7 Student perception of own competencies ................... 15

2.0 Student Career Choice Intentions ........................... 17

2.1 Career Intentions of Student Sample .......................... 17

2.2 Comparison of Career Intentions (2011 vs 2016) ...... 18

3. Intentions towards Entrepreneurship ...................... 20

3.1 Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students ....................... 20

3.2 Intentions to Found a Business by Field of Study ...... 21

3.3 Share of Aspiring (Nascent) and Active entrepreneurs 22

4. Family, Society & Entrepreneurship ........................ 24


8

4.1 Perceived Reactions to Pursuit of Entrepreneurship .. 24

4.2 Influence of Parents’ Occupation on Entrepreneurial Intentions 26

4.3 Family Business ......................................................... 28

4.4 Student Perceptions of Society ................................... 29

5. Entrepreneurship & Education ................................. 32

5.1 Institutional Support for Entrepreneurship ................. 32

5.2 Course Development of Entrepreneurial Skills/Knowledge 33

5.3 Students taking Entrepreneurship Related Classes ..... 34

5.4 Pedagogical Aspects Used in Entrepreneurship Education 35

6. Aspiring (Nascent) Entrepreneurs ............................ 38

6.1 Timing of Forthcoming Business ............................... 38

6.2 Approximate Ownership in Business ....................... 38

6.3 Economic Sector of Forthcoming Business................ 38

6.4 Activities Undertaken towards Entrepreneurship ....... 39

6.5 Motive to Start a Business .......................................... 40

6.6 Importance to Founder ............................................... 41

7. Active Entrepreneurs ................................................. 43

Author Details ................................................................. 44


9

The GUESSS project: Key information

The GUESSS (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey) project is a

global research initiative designed to examine the entrepreneurial intentions and

activities of students at third level. The main goals of the GUESSS project relate to:

1. The start-up process

GUESSS helps to systematically record the founding intention and activity of

students on a long-term basis, and makes a temporal and geographical comparison

possible (panel study).

2. The University

GUESSS offers a temporal and geographical comparison providing universities

with insight into the organization of entrepreneurship (e.g. in the form of

entrepreneurship courses, founding climate, infrastructure, etc.).

3. The Individual

GUESSS allows for a temporal and geographical comparison of individual-based

characteristics that impact the founding intention and activity of students. The

survey is conducted every two years.

The international project was developed by Prof. Dr. Philipp Sieger (Swiss Research

Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of St.Gallen) and

has previously been conducted six times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011 & 2014). There

have been numerous academic articles and reports which have disseminated knowledge

relating to family firm progression, career choice and entrepreneurial intentionality.

Data collected internationally is disseminated in terms of individual national reports

and one integrated international report. The report herein pertains to the results obtained

from the study undertaken in Ireland in 2016.


10

Key Findings of International Report 2016-17

The international GUESSS Project 2016-17 attempted to answer the questions above

based on more than 122,000 completed responses from 50 countries and over 1,000

universities1. Selected key findings from the international GUESSS 2016-17 report:

Career intentions directly after 3rd level:

Internationally, the large majority (80.3%) of students intend to become employees

directly after their studies. 8.8% of students intend to work in their own business

directly after studies.

Career intentions five years after 3rd level:

38.2% intend to work in their own business five years after completion of their

studies. The share of intentional founders in developing countries is considerably

higher than in developed countries.

Career intentions by gender

There appears to be a “gender gap” whereby females were found to have weaker

entrepreneurial intentions than males, yet this varied between countries.

1 The international report is available at

http://www.guesssurvey.org/PDF/2016/GUESSS_2016_INT_Report_final3.pdf

What are students’ entrepreneurial intentions across the globe; how many

students are in the process of creating a business; and how many already have

their own business? What are the drivers of student entrepreneurial intentions?

http://www.guesssurvey.org/PDF/2016/GUESSS_2016_INT_Report_final3.pdf


11

Career intentions toward entrepreneurship is linked to parental background

Students with entrepreneurial parents have stronger entrepreneurial intentions than

students without entrepreneurial parents, yet this effect depends on the parents’

entrepreneurial performance.

Aspiring Entrepreneurs

There were 21.9% of all students in the international study in the process of creating

their own business. 34.9% of them plan to complete the venture creation process

within one year. 18.6% intend to create the business alone; all others plan to have

co-founders.

Current Entrepreneurs

In the international study, 8.8% of all students already run their own business. On

average, these businesses employ 6.3 employees (full-time equivalents).

Ernst and Young (EY) is the global research partner for the GUESSS Research Project


12

National Report Findings: Ireland

The international data study was conducted during the Summer of 2016. For the Irish

study, the online survey was disseminated by Dr. Eric Clinton and Ms. Roisin Lyons

through a number of participating third level institutes in the country. In the Irish study

1,338 students attempted the survey. After data screening and analysis, 807 valid

responses were used in the national report analysis.

STUDENT INFORMATION

CAREER INTENTIONS

FAMILY BUSINESS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS

ACTIVE ENTREPRENEURS

CONCLUSION


13

1. Student Information

1.1 Age of students

The majority of students in the Irish study belonged to the 21-23 age bracket (42.68%,

N = 341), while 29.41% (N=235) were aged between 18-20 years old.

Figure 3: Age Range of Participants

1.2 Gender of students

There were 503 female students (62.3%) who participated in the GUESSS 2016 survey

and 304 male students (37.7%).

1.3 Nationality of students

In the national study, the majority of the respondents were Irish (85.2%, N=687). This

was followed by British students who comprised of 1.6% (N=13) of the sample group.

French and Chinese both followed with 0.7% (N=6) of student responses and 0.5%

(N=4) from Germany. The remaining 10.7% of the sample group were born in ‘Other’

countries such as Iraq, Mauritius, India, USA, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan,

Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong,

Ghana and Mexico.

29.41

42.68

11.14

5.88 4.636.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

18-20 21-23 24-26 27-29 30-35 35+

%

Age

Age Range of Participants


14

Figure 4: Nationality of the Student Sample

1.4 Third Level Institutions

The majority of students indicated that they were based in University College Cork

(75.6%, N=610). This was followed by Dublin City University with 10.5% (n=85) and

Letterkenny Institute of Technology with 8.3% (n=67). Other Universities contributed

to a lesser degree such as the University of Limerick (1.5%), Cork Institute of

Technology (0.6%) and Trinity College Dublin (0.6%).

1.5 Level of Education of Students

The majority of respondents were found to be at the undergraduate level (81.5%,

N=656). Masters or postgraduate level students accounted for 11.3% of the study

sample (N= 91) and the PhD/MBA/Other category totalled to 58 (7.2%) of those who

answered the survey.

1.6 Students’ Field of Study

The student sample was asked which faculty or academic field they were currently

studying in their third level institution. The majority of the student sample indicated

that they were currently studying ‘Law and Economics’ (which includes Business

Science/Studies), accounting for 28.8% or 232 of the 807 students.

53.0%

9.4%

32.2%

5.3%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Irish Non-Irish

Nationality of sample

Female Male


15

Figure 5: Level of Current Education of the Student Sample

The least popular Field of Study was ‘Science of Art’ (which includes art, design,

dramatics, music etc.), accounting for 2% or 16 of the total respondents.

Figure 6: Field of Study of the Student Sample

1.7 Student perception of own competencies

Students were asked to indicate their perceived level of competence in the following

categories as listed in Figure 7 below. A large number (43.3%) of the student sample

reported a ‘high’ competence (rather high, pretty high or very high) in identifying new

business opportunities, while 41.5% of the student sample reported a ‘high’ competence

in their perceived ability to manage innovation within a firm. Students believed that

81.5

11.3 7.2

0

20

40

60

80

100

Undergraduate (Bachelor) Graduate (Master) Other (e.g., PhD, MBA)

%Level of Study

13

11.8

18.1

28.8

11.7

2

6.2

8.3

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Arts / Humanities (e.g., linguistics, cultural…

Engineering (incl. computer sciences and…

Human medicine / health sciences

Law & Economics (incl. business sciences)

Mathematics and natural sciences

Science of art (e.g., art, design, dramatics,…

Social sciences (e.g., psychology, politics,…

Other

%

Field of Study of Students


16

they had the highest competence in leadership and communication, as 71.1% of the

student sample indicated that they perceived themselves to have a rather high, pretty

high or very high level of competence in this. A combined 39.3% of the sample group

indicated that they saw themselves as having rather low, pretty low or very low

competencies in creating new products and services.

Figure 7: Student perceptions of their own ability in certain tasks

8.3

9.6

7.9

2.2

3.7

7.7

8.2

10

12.2

11.7

3.9

5.8

9.3

8.9

17.3

17.5

15.6

8

11.6

17.1

14.9

21.2

26

23.3

14.7

21.6

22.8

23.9

23.8

18.8

21.9

23.7

25.9

22.3

20.7

13.5

11.4

13.7

26.7

21.2

13.6

13.4

6

4.4

5.9

20.7

10.3

7.2

10

0 20 40 60 80 100

Identifying new

business

opportunities

Creating new

products and

services

Managing

innovation within

a firm

Being a leader

and

communicator

Building up a

professional

network

Commercializing

a new idea or

development

Successfully

managing a

business

Student Perception of Confidence in Own Ability

very low competence pretty low competence rather low competence equal

rather high competence pretty high competence very high competence


17

2.0 Student Career Choice Intentions

2.1 Career Intentions of Student Sample

Students were asked their career plans for the future;

focusing on what they intend to pursue immediately

after graduation and where they could see

themselves working five years after graduation

(Figure 8).

Figure 8: Career Choice Intentions of Student Sample

4.6

5.9

18.6

3.7

11.8

9.7

27.4

1.7

3.3

13.30

13.3

18.6

25.2

3.5

11.4

11.8

4.2

0.6

0.5

11

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Employee in small business (1-49

employees)

Employee in medium business

(50-249 employees)

Employee in Large business (250+

employees)

Employee in a non-profit

organization

Employee in Academia (academic

career path)

Employee in public service

Founder/Entrepreneur working in

my own business

Successor in my parents'/family's

business

Successor in a business currently

not controlled by my family

Other/do not know yet

%

Career Choice Intentions

Career path 5 years after graduation Career path after graduation


18

The results showed that students are inclined toward large (25.2%) and medium

(18.6%) sized businesses immediately after graduating, with a combined 353/807

students choosing these options. Five years after graduation, the highest ranked career

path is an entrepreneur/founder (27.4%). The largest increase between career choice

intentions after graduation and five years after graduation is seen in the ‘founder’

category (+23.2%) and the largest decrease is present in the ‘medium sized business’

category (-12.7%). The data also shows that the whole succession of a family or non-

family enterprise is not a favoured option immediately after graduation (0.6% and 0.5%

respectively), but becomes a more popular choice five years later (1.7% and 3.3%).

Table 1 shows the distribution of career intentions immediately after graduating and

five years after graduating when grouped according to category.

Table 1: Career Choice Intentions of Students over Time

Career intentions

(after study)

Career intentions

(five years later)

Number Percentage Number Percentage

Employee 675 83.6% 438 54.3%

Founder 34 4.2% 221 27.4%

Successor 9 1.1% 41 5.1%

Other 89 11% 107 13.2%

Total 807 100% 807 100%

2.2 Comparison of Career Intentions (2011 vs 2016)

The career intentions were compared to the Irish results of the GUESSS 2011 research

data to determine whether the general student population has changed. The 2011 sample

results, which were taken from 122 students, show a substantially higher number of

students intending to work as an employee in an organisation (small, medium and

large). Possibly due to the economic climate at the time, 11.48% of the 2011 sample


19

intended to pursue entrepreneurship five years after graduation; a percentage which is

almost 16% higher in the 2016 sample group of 807 students. Succession in family

business (five years after graduation) was found to be higher in 2011 with 4.10% of the

sample intending to pursue this as opposed to 1.7% in 2016.

Figure 9: Career Intentions (five years after Graduation): 2011 versus 2016

4.6

5.9

18.6

3.7

11.8

9.7

27.4

1.7

3.3

13.3

18.85

19.67

27.87

0.00

4.92

8.20

11.48

4.10

0.00

4.92

0 10 20 30

Employee in small business (1-49

employees)

Employee in medium business (50-249

employees)

Employee in Large business (250+

employees)

Employee in a non-profit organization

Employee in Academia (academic career

path)

Employee in public service

Founder/Entrepreneur working in my

own business

Successor in my parents'/family's

business

Successor in a business currently not

controlled by my family

Other/do not know yet

Career intentions in Ireland (2016 vs 2011)

5 years after

graduation

(2016)

5 years after

graduation

(2011)


20

3. Intentions towards Entrepreneurship

3.1 Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students

Students were presented with a number of statements about their entrepreneurial

intentions. From a sample of 807 participants, the majority of students are not inclined

to pursue entrepreneurship. In fact, 55% of the student sample does not consider

becoming an entrepreneur as their professional goal. Respectively, 13% and 15% of

students strongly agreed that they are determined to create a business in the future and

have seriously thought about starting a business.

Table 2: Student Entrepreneurial Intentions

Strongly

Disagree

Pretty

Disagree

Rather

Disagree

Equal Rather

Agree

Pretty

Agree

Strongly

Agree

I am ready

to do

anything to

be an

entrepreneur

24.2 14.1 19.0 18.0 12.8 6.1 5.7

My

professional

goal is to

become an

entrepreneur

24.7 15.6 14.7 15.2 11.7 8.7 9.4

I will make

every effort

to start &

run my own

business

23.2 16.1 15.0 12.4 14.2 9.4 9.8

I am

determined

to create a

22.1 13.8 13.4 15.9 12.4 9.4 13.0


21

business in

the future

I have very

seriously

thought of

starting a

business

21.5 13.4 12.8 13.4 13.7 10.2 15.0

I have the

strong

intention to

start a

business

someday

21.3 14.6 12.9 12.7 12.1 12.1 14.4

3.2 Intentions to Found a Business by Field of Study

A comparison between the varying fields of study regarding student intentions to pursue

entrepreneurship (directly after graduation and five years after graduation) was

conducted. Does the field of study impact the student’s intentions towards

entrepreneurship? Findings indicate that students of Law and Economics (including

business sciences/studies) were more likely to pursue entrepreneurship directly after

their studies than any other field (6.47%), with Social Science reporting the lowest

intentions (2%). Five years after graduation however, it was the students of the Science

of Art (including art, design, music etc.) that had the highest intentions towards

founding their own business, while the Arts/Humanities reported the lowest (14.29%).


22

Figure 10: Career Intentions by Academic Field of Study

3.3 Share of Aspiring (Nascent) and Active entrepreneurs

Students were asked: 1) Are you currently trying to start your own business/to become

self-employed?; 2) Are you already running your own business/are you already self-

employed? (N=807).

4.76

4.21

2.05

6.47

3.19

6.25

2.00

2.99

14.29

29.47

25.34

34.91

22.34

37.50

28.00

26.87

0 10 20 30 40

Arts / Humanities (e.g., linguistics, cultural

studies, religion, philosophy, history)

Engineering (incl. computer sciences and

architecture)

Human medicine / health sciences

Law & Economics (incl. business sciences)

Mathematics and natural sciences

Science of art (e.g., art, design, dramatics,

music)

Social sciences (e.g., psychology, politics,

educational science)

Other

Intentions to Found a Business

Founder

after

graduation

Founder

after 5 years


23

Table 3: Entrepreneurial Student Activity

Are you currently trying to start

your own business?

Are you already running your

own business?

Number % Number %

Yes 85 10.5% 30 3.7%

No 722 89.5% 777 96.3%

Total 807 100% 807 100%

As can be seen in the table above, 89.5% of students indicated that they are not currently

trying to start their own businesses/become self-employed, and 96.3% are not currently

involved in their own businesses/are self-employed. Those that responded ‘yes’ to

either question will be explored in more detail in sections 5 and 6.


24

4. Family, Society & Entrepreneurship

4.1 Perceived Reactions of Social Circle to a Student’s Pursuit of

Entrepreneurship

Respondents were asked to indicate how their social circle would react if they would

choose to pursue a career in entrepreneurship. The responses are collected from 467

female students and 281 male students which are expressed in percentages. In the first

instance, students were asked what they would perceive to be the reaction of their

immediate family. As can be seen in Figure 11 below the reaction is quite positive and

similarly perceived by both male and female students. Female students were found to

perceive a higher ‘very’ positive reaction to their entrepreneurial pursuits than males

did.

Dr. Eric Clinton – Director DCU Centre for Family Business; Lecturer of

Entrepreneurship

“Family firms form the economic bedrock of Irish society. If we look to our villages,

towns and cities it is also evident that the family business organization contributes

significantly to the social development of our communities. Research shows the strong

passing of entrepreneurial mindsets among generations within family firms, with higher

tendencies toward entrepreneurship from those whose parents are founders or owners of a

family business. As academic institutions we need to foster this entrepreneurial mindset

and assist the next generation of business owners to start their own firm or engage in the

succession process. Finally, and aligning to stated ‘best practice’, results suggest many

students who come from a family business prefer to work outside their family business

before considering involvement in the business.”


25

Figure 11: Reaction to Entrepreneurial Career (Close family)

Figure 12 compares the overall reactions from friends to respondents choosing an

entrepreneurial career as perceived by both males and females. The results indicate a

more negative perceived reaction by the male students i.e. male students expect their

friends to be less positive about their starting of a company.

Figure 12: Reaction to entrepreneurial career (friends)

Figure 13 below compares the overall reactions that males and females would expect

from their fellow students if an entrepreneurial career was chosen by the respondent.

Male students expected a higher neutral response from classmates, but both male and

female students indicated that they would expect a largely positive reaction.

8 1330

51

108 108

170

5 9 1437

5979 79

0

50

100

150

200

very

negatively

pretty

negatively

rather

negatively

equal rather

positively

pretty

positively

very

positively

Nu

mb

er o

f st

ud

ents

Reaction: Your close family

Female

Male

4 819

60

118 127150

3 319

49 5775 75

020406080

100120140160

very

negatively

pretty

negatively

rather

negatively

equal rather

positively

pretty

positively

very

positively

Nu

mb

er o

f st

ud

ents

Reaction: Your friends

Female

Male


26

Figure 13: Reaction to entrepreneurial career (Students)

4.2 Influence of Parents’ Occupation on Entrepreneurial Intentions

Students were asked to answer questions pertaining to the occupations of their parents.

Figure 14 below indicates the owner/founder careers of the parents of the survey

participants. As seen below, 22.4% of the students indicated that their father was self-

employed and 17.8% owned the majority share of a business. Less students indicated

that their mother was self-employed (5.8%) or a majority owner (4.5%).

Figure 14: Entrepreneurial careers of parents

It has been suggested that students whose parents engaged in entrepreneurship may

have higher intentions toward pursuing the same career path. As can be seen in Table

4 below, this claim was not supported by the present study as there are similar results

found between those students intending to pursue entrepreneurship with entrepreneurial

7 827

75

129115

126

2 4 12

63 6375

62

020406080

100120140

Nu

mb

er o

f st

ud

ents

Reaction: Your fellow students

Female

Male

22.4

5.8 8.2

17.8

4.58.7

0

10

20

30

Yes, father Yes, mother Yes, both

%

Parents Occupation as Owner/Founder

Are your parents self-employed? Are your parents majority owners of a business?


27

parents and those with non-entrepreneurial parents. Results are paralleled for many of

the student career intentions, however of note is the higher percentage (5.9%) of

students who have at least one entrepreneurial parent and would prefer to work in a

large organisation directly after graduation, compared to students with no

entrepreneurial parents. In addition, as one would expect, the figures for students

intending to engage in succession are higher for those with entrepreneurial parents.

Table 4: Career Intentions of Students by Parents’ Occupation (Owner/Founder versus

Non-Entrepreneurial)

Entrepreneurial Parent/s

N=250

No Entrepreneurial Parent/s

N=557

Percent (%)

Career

path right

after

studies

Career

path 5

years later

Career

path right

after

studies

Career path 5

years later

an employee in a small

business (1-49 employees)

12.0 6.8 13.8 3.6

an employee in a medium-

sized business (50-249

employees)

16.4 4.4 19.6 6.6

an employee in a large

business (250 or more

employees)

29.2 18.8 23.3 18.5

an employee in a non-profit

organization

3.6 4.0 3.4 3.6

an employee in Academia

(academic career path)

12.4 9.6 11.0 12.7

an employee in public

service

10.8 9.2 12.2 9.9

a founder (entrepreneur)

working in my own

business

4.0 27.2 4.3 27.5

a successor in my parents' /

family's business

1.6 4.0 0.2 0.7


28

a successor in a business

currently not controlled by

my family

0.4 5.2 0.5 2.5

Other / do not know yet 9.6 10.8 11.7 14.4

4.3 Family Business

A number of industries were listed when students were asked to list the sector/industry

of their parents business. The most frequent were Construction 17.2% (n=53); Trade

(wholesale/retail) 11.3% (n=35); and Architecture and Engineering 6.1% (n=19).

Though 85 students indicated the ‘other’ category it was found that 37 of these

answered that their parent or parents were involved in agriculture/farming.

Students were asked if they owned any of the existing company, and if so how much.

The majority of students who answered this question (83.3% of 305 students) indicated

no ownership. Thirty-one students (10.2%) indicated they owned between 1 and 25%,

while only 8 students indicated ownership of 26-50% and less still (n=2) of 51-99%.

Students were asked when they intend to take over their family business (213) and

84.2% indicated that they will succeed their parents after five years. In two to five years,

32 respondents will take over their parents’ business (12.6%), and only eight

respondents will lead the business within one year which accounts for 3.2% of the total.


29

Figure 15: Industry Sector of Parental Company

Students were asked whether they regarded the business as a ‘family business’. Of the

305 students which answered the question there was an almost equal split of students

who agreed that they did perceive it to be a ‘family business’ (n=152), and those that

did not (n=153).

When asked the main reason why they may choose to take over the family business,

53.6% (N=157) of respondents noted that they wanted to ‘preserve family harmony’.

The second most important factor for the respondents was the need to ‘secure long-term

survival of the business’ (46.4%, n=136).

4.4 Student Perceptions of Society

The student sample was asked a number of questions pertaining to their views on the

society they live in and the cultural or societal norms which exist in Ireland.

919

53

12

12

12

166

1517

35

18

85

Industry Sector of Parent/sAdvertising / Design / Marketing

Architecture and Engineering

Construction

Consulting (HR, law, management, tax)

Education and training

Financial services (incl. banking, insurance,

investment, real estate)

Human health and social work activities

Information technology (IT) and

communication (incl. software & IT services)

Manufacturing

Tourism and leisure

Trade (wholesale/retail)

Other services (e.g., transportation)

Other

Frequency

(N)


30

Figure 16: Entrepreneurial careers of parents

Figure 16 shows the division of answers in relation to each of the items. Among other

results the figure shows that 41.2% of students strongly perceive that their parents take

pride in the individual accomplishments of their children. In the sample of 807

1.6

0.7

5.9

13.8

3.1

4.6

5.6

2.8

3.6

0.7

11.6

19.8

9.2

10.5

9.4

3.6

7.4

2.2

19.6

18.2

15.9

15.3

17.1

11.3

20.4

6.6

24.2

17.1

28.6

25

25.5

21.5

27.4

15.2

18.2

15.1

24

24.4

24.2

31.2

21.4

33.3

13.2

9.6

12.6

14

13.4

19.4

18.1

41.2

7.2

6.5

6.6

6.1

4.8

10.3

0 20 40 60 80 100

In my society, children take pride in the

individual accomplishments of their parents

In my society, parents take pride in the

individual accomplishments of their children

In my society, aging parents generally live at

home with their children.

In my society, children generally live at home

with their parents until they get married

In my society, orderliness and consistency are

stressed, even at the expense of

experimentation and innovation.

In my society, most people lead highly

structured lives with few unexpected events

In my society, societal requirements and

instructions are spelled out in detail so

citizens know what they are expected to do.

In my society, individuals are encouraged to

strive for continuously improved performance

Perceptions of Society

strongly disagree pretty disagree rather disagree equal rather agree pretty agree strongly agree


31

respondents, only 7.2% (58/ 807) of respondents strongly agree that in their society

aging parents live at home with their children. Based on the survey, 23.8% respondents

rather agree that in their society orderliness and consistency are stressed, even at the

expense of experimentation and innovation. The results show that 25.5% are undecided

or neutral about the fact that societal requirements and instructions are spelled out in

detail so citizens know what they are expected to do. Lastly, results indicated that

60.9% of the student sample agreed that in their society individuals are encouraged to

strive for continuously improved performance, while 17.7% of the respondents

cumulatively disagreed.


32

5. Entrepreneurship & Education

5.1 Institutional Support for

Entrepreneurship

Students were asked to what extent the atmosphere at their university inspires them to

develop ideas for new businesses. The results showed that 49.4% of the students agreed

with the statement to some extent, whereas only 29.2% disagreed (See Figure 17

below). When asked if their university encouraged students to engage in entrepreneurial

activities, over half of the sample was in agreement to some degree (55.6%). Students

were also asked if there was a favourable climate for becoming an entrepreneur at their

university. The results showed that the majority of students felt their university had a

favourable climate for entrepreneurship with 12.3% indicating strong agreement with

this statement, while only 5.3% were in total disagreement.

Roisin Lyons – Lecturer of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, DCU

‘Entrepreneurship education is hoped to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary

for entrepreneurship, and ultimately to spur more towards new venture creation. Through the

effective delivery of entrepreneurship education, institutions and educators can contribute to a

supportive and informed ecosystem where starting a business is a real possibility for our students

and graduates. Research points to a link between entrepreneurship education and new venture

creation, yet work is still to be done to find the most effective ways of delivering this benefit to

students’


33

Figure 17: University environment

5.2 Within Course Development of Entrepreneurial Competencies

The student sample was asked to what extent they would agree that their studies helped

them to develop certain competencies and knowledge relating to entrepreneurship. For

the items which are labelled above in Figure 18, the majority of the student sample

answered ‘somewhat agree’ or ‘neutral’. Students strongly agreed with the item ‘my

course enhances my ability to identify an opportunity’ (14.6%), while the item that

received the strongest disagreement was ‘my course increases my understanding of the

actions that a person must take to start a business’ (17.5%).

8.6

7.5

13.1

21.3

23.8

15

10.6

5.3

6.8

12.5

21.6

22.8

18.6

12.3

6.6

6.8

11.6

19.3

21.1

19

15.5

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neutral

Somewhat agree

Agree

Strongly Agree

University Environment

The atmosphere at my university inspires me to develop ideas for new businesses.

There is a favorable climate for becoming an entrepreneur at my university.

At my university, students are encouraged to engage in entrepreneurial activities.


34

Figure 18: Reaction to course offerings

5.3 Students taking Entrepreneurship Related Classes

The graphic below shows the extent to which students in the Irish third level context

reported to be taking an entrepreneurship course offering (ranging from an optional

module to studying it in a specific programme). The results indicate that 73.7%

(N=592) of students had not yet taken an entrepreneurship course. There were 11.5%

of the students who had attended an entrepreneurship course as an elective (N=92),

while 15.3% had attended at least one as a compulsory part of their course (N=123).

Only 3.9% of the student sample were studying on a specific entrepreneurship program

(N=31). When asked if the entrepreneurial reputation of the university was the deciding

factor of choosing to study there, 96% of the students answered no (N=771).

14.7

11.2

14.8

15.9

20.1

13.2

10.1

17.5

12.7

14.6

16.5

15.6

12.3

10.9

15.1

13.2

13.3

17.6

18

12.6

10.2

10.2

7.9

10.2

19.3

22.7

17.1

12.7

7.4

7.5

10.3

16.6

22.7

21

14.6

0 20 40 60 80 100

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neutral

Somewhat agree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Reaction to Course Offerings

…increased my

understanding of the

attitudes, values and

motivations of

entrepreneurs.…increased my

understanding of the

actions someone has to

take to start a business.

…enhanced my practical

management skills in

order to start a business.

…enhanced my ability to

develop networks.

…enhanced my ability to

identify an opportunity.


35

Figure 19: Participation in entrepreneurship courses

5.4 Pedagogical Aspects Used in Entrepreneurship Education

Students that indicated they have taken or are taking some form of entrepreneurship

course were asked to give specifics about the pedagogical (teaching techniques) used

within the course. There were 209 students eligible for this question and they were

encouraged to select all elements which applied. Results indicated that the most

common method for delivering a course in entrepreneurship education was through

lectures (191 selections) followed by the use of workshops (149) and guest speakers

(138). International study visits (8) and hackathons (4) were found to be the least

common elements in such a course, as indicated by the student sample group.

73.7

11.5

15.3

3.9

Attendance of entrepreneurship offerings

I have not attended a course

on entrepreneurship so far.

I have attended at least one

entrepreneurship course as

elective.

I have attended at least one

entrepreneurship course as

compulsory part of my

studies.


36

Figure 20: Pedagogical elements in entrepreneurship education

191

57

124

45

90

35

19

32

8

138

149

71

71

23

45

60

111

4

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

Lectures

Business Simulation

Business Plan

Prototype Development

New Product Development Project

Social Entrepreneurship Project

Dragons Den Pitch

Profiling an Entrepreneur

International Study Visits

Guest speakers

Workshops

Work Experience

Competition (inside the university)

Competition (outside the university)

Mentoring

Poster creation

Presentation

Hackathon

Elements within Courses of Entrepreneurship Education


37

Student Entrepreneurship: Aspiring and Current

ROBOTIFY LABS (http://robotify.net/)

Robotify is a Dublin based start-up which makes DIY robotics kits designed to teach

children coding in a fun and intuitive way. It is made up of three young Irish

entrepreneurs: Adam Dalton, Evan Darcy and Shane Curran. Adam as CEO is responsible

for the company’s vision, strategy and growth. He is in his first year studying Business at

DCU. Evan is responsible for the product design and learning innovation solutions. He is

in his first year studying Engineering at DCU. Shane is the CTO and responsible for

digital innovation and software development. At age 17, serial entrepreneur Shane has

spoken at conferences such as the Web Summit and the European Commission. In 2017

he was named BT Young Scientist of the year for his project “qCrypt”.

“At the start of our journey what we didn’t have was the guidance, support or experience

to make our company a success. We spent a year messing with prototypes, websites and

trying to get investment but we weren’t ready. We had not talked to our users or our

customers, we changed the idea weekly, and we had a lack of direction. During this year

however, we learned so much about ourselves and our product. We began to run courses

in schools which gave us an invaluable insight into the minds of young students. It helped

us to improve the product and the content. Since then we have worked scrupulously to

build our product, our courses and brand. We are now working to stock our product on

shelves and to provide courses. Recently, Dublin City University have provided us with

office space in DCU Alpha Innovation Campus and a wide range of mentoring. This has

had a huge impact on our company and timeline. Although there have been a lot of ups

and downs being young entrepreneurs, it has also been incredibly rewarding. The best

thing is that it’s only getting started. Here’s to more years of making a difference doing

work we love.”


38

6. Aspiring (Nascent) Entrepreneurs

6.1 Timing of Forthcoming Business

In total, 64 from the sample of 807 students indicated that they intended to set-up their

own company; this contingent represents 7.93% of the student sample taken in the Irish

study. When the students were asked in how many months do they intend to found their

business, 34.4% of students indicated 19-24 months or more, while 28.1% intend to

found it within 1-6 months. The survey also revealed that 62.5% of these students want

their business to become their main occupation after graduation. The number of second

time or serial entrepreneurs accounts for 23.8% of the results.

Figure 21: Timing strategy of nascent entrepreneurs

6.2 Approximate Ownership in Business

When the students were asked what would be their approximate ownership share in

their new business, 28% indicated that they intended to share between 51-75% while

25% intended to have complete ownership.

6.3 Economic Sector of Forthcoming Business

The majority of the respondents want to establish a business in the Information

Technology and Communication sector as signified by 17.2% of answers. There is also

an attraction to the Trade (14.1%) and Tourism and Leisure (14.1%) sectors. The least

28.10%

21.90%15.60%

34.40%

Months to found a business

1-6

7-12

13-18

19-24 or more


39

preferred sector was Construction and Manufacturing with just 1.6% of the sample

opting for each.

Figure 22: Sector of upcoming business

6.4 Activities Undertaken towards Entrepreneurship

The aspiring/forthcoming student entrepreneurs (N=64) were asked about the activities

which they had undertaken in the pursuit of their new venture. As seen in Figure 7

below, 63.79% had discussed the business idea with potential customers while 41.38%

had started service or product development. Only 3.45% had actually sold a product or

service at the time the survey was conducted.

7.8

4.7

1.6

7.8

3.1

10.9

17.2

1.6

14.1

14.1

3.1

14.1

Advertising / Design / Marketing

Architecture and Engineering

Construction

Education and training

Financial services (incl. banking, insurance,…

Human health and social work activities

Information technology (IT) and…

Manufacturing

Tourism and leisure

Trade (wholesale/retail)

Other services (e.g., transportation)

Other

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

In which economic sector will your business be active

in?


40

Table 5: Tasks completed

Activity Completed? Yes

Discussed product or business idea with potential customers 37 (63.79%)

Collected information about markets or competitors 45 (77.59%)

Written a business plan 29 (46%)

Started product/service development 24 (41.38%)

Started marketing or promotion efforts 9 (15.52%)

Purchased material, equipment or machinery for the business 11 (18.97%)

Attempted to obtain external funding 17 (29.31%)

Applied for a patent, copyright or trademark 3 (5.17%)

Registered the business 5 (8.62%)

Sold product or service 2 (3.45%)

6.5 Motive to Start a Business

Students were asked about their motives in starting their own business (i.e. I will create

my firm in order to…) and given a range of items which they were asked to answer

from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

Table 6: Motive to Found a New Venture

Motive to Found a

Business

strongly

disagree

pretty

disagree

rather

disagree

equal rather

agree

pretty

agree

strongly

agree

To make money and

become rich. 4.8 12.7 15.9 20.6 23.8 12.7 9.5

To mainly achieve

financial success. 3.2 11.1 14.3 15.9 22.2 22.2 11.1

To advance my career

in the business world. 4.8 4.8 3.2 14.3 23.8 20.6 28.6

To be able to signal

my capabilities to

others (i.e., future

employers,

colleagues).

3.2 3.2 6.3 20.6 38.1 11.1 17.5


41

6.6 Importance to Founder

Students were asked about the importance of certain aspects relating to their

forthcoming entrepreneurial pursuits (i.e. as a firm founder, it will be very important to

me…), and were given a range of items which they were asked to rank from strongly

disagree to strongly agree. The analysis showed that 29% of forthcoming entrepreneurs

‘rather’ agreed to operate their firm on the basis of solid management practices with

25% strongly agreeing to it. Moreover, 39.3% had thoroughly analysed the financial

To solve a specific

problem for a group of

people that I strongly

identify with (e.g.,

friends, colleagues,

club, community).

1.6 0.0 8.1 11.3 19.4 21.0 38.7

To play a proactive

role in shaping the

activities of a group of



friends, colleagues,

club, community).

1.6 0.0 4.8 14.5 33.9 22.6 22.6

To solve a societal

problem that private

businesses usually fail

to address (e.g., social

injustice,

environmental

protection).

3.2 7.9 11.1 19.0 17.5 17.5 23.8

To do something that

allows me to enact

values which are core

to who I am.

1.6 1.6 1.6 12.7 23.8 17.5 41.3

To play a proactive

role in changing how

the world operates.

1.6 1.6 4.8 12.9 16.1 22.6 40.3


42

prospects of the business. When students were provided with the statement that making

the world a ‘better place’ (e.g., by pursuing social justice, protecting the environment)

is an important consideration, 39% strongly agreed.

Table 7: Importance to Founder

Importance to Founder

strongly

disagree

pretty

disagree

rather

disagree

equal rather

agree

pretty

agree

strongly

agree

To operate my firm on

the basis of solid

management practices.

3.2 0.0 3.2 12.9 29.0 25.8 25.8

To have thoroughly

analysed the financial

prospects of my business.

1.6 0.0 3.3 8.2 24.6 23.0 39.3

To provide a

product/service that is

useful to a group of



friends, colleagues, club,

community).

3.3 1.6 4.9 9.8 9.8 27.9 42.6

To convey to my

customers that I want to

satisfy needs rather than

just do business.

1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 14.8 23.0 60.7

To be able to express to

my customers that I

fundamentally share their

views, interests and

values.

1.6 0.0 1.6 6.6 18.0 26.2 45.9

To be true in serving a

group of people that I

strongly identify with.

1.6 0.0 6.6 9.8 14.8 27.9 39.3

To be a highly

responsible citizen of our

world.

1.6 3.3 1.6 9.8 21.3 19.7 42.6


43

7. Active Entrepreneurs 7.1 In what year did you found your business?

The obtained data showed that majority of the respondents founded their businesses in

recent years. Out of the sampling group, it was observed that 32.1% (9 out of 28) started

their businesses in the year 2015. In 2016, 28.6% (8) respondents started their own

company, while 10.7% were in 2014 (3) respondents founded businesses. The

remaining respondents (3.6%) established their own companies in the following years:

1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2013.

7.2 How many employees do you have today?

Respondents (33.33%) indicated that they owned businesses with one or two

employees. Data showed that 11.1% of the businesses had four employees working for

them. All other companies had 3, 7, 10 or 100.

7.3 What is your ownership share in your business?

With respect to ownership in the company, half of the respondents (14 out of 28) in the

sampling group had 100% share ownership in their business. Next, 17.9% of

respondents had ownership shares in the 26–50% range. Following on, 14.3% of

respondents had ownership shares in the 51–75% range. There were 10.7% of the

respondents who had ownership shares between 0–25 %.

7.4 Do you want this business to become your main occupation after

graduation?

To make the world a

“better place” (e.g., by

pursuing social justice,

protecting the

environment).

1.6 3.3 1.6 18.0 14.8 21.3 39.3


44

For the above question, 62.1% (18 out of 29) respondents answered ‘yes’. The

remaining 37.9% (11 out of 29) answered ‘otherwise’ i.e. their business will not be

their main occupation after they graduate.

7.5 How many individuals have an ownership stake in the business?

Businesses with no owners formed 32.1% (9 out of 28 respondents) of the sampling

group. Next, 21.4% (6 out of 28) of the respondents had one or two stake owners in

their business. Following on, 14.3% of the sample had three individuals with stakes in

their businesses and 10.7% (3 out of 28) had more than three stake owners.

7.6 In which economic sector is your business’ main activity?

As evidenced by the data, the majority of businesses operate in both the education and

training, and information technology sectors (17.9%). Seven other sectors were cited,

representing an accumulative total of 14.3%. The construction sector represents a

significant proportion of businesses in the sample at almost 10.7%.

7.7 I created my firm in order…

Out of the sampling group, the majority of the respondents (41.7%) agreed to some

extent that they created the firm in order to signal their capabilities to others. Whereas

30.8% of the respondents strongly agreed that doing something that allows them to

enact their core values was the reason for creating their firm. Cumulatively, the

respondents agreed with the rationale to achieve financial success (60%) and to play a

proactive role in shaping the activities of a group of people that they strongly identify

with (almost 58.4%). According to the survey, there were equal percentages of

respondents who agreed and disagreed with the reason of creating the firm to make

money and become rich.


45

7.8 As a firm founder, it is very important to me …

The most significant fact from the survey is that zero percentage of respondents

disagree that as a firm founder they want to satisfy their customers’ needs rather than

just do business, yet only46.4% strongly agree with this statement. As a firm founder,

44.4% of respondents strongly agreed with the statements that it is important to them

to be true in serving a group of people and to provide a product/service that is useful to

a group of people that they strongly identify with. There was 17.9% agreement among

respondents regarding the importance of operating their firm on the basis of solid

management practices. Collectively, 85.1% of respondents agreed with the statement

that as a firm founder, it is imperative to them to be a highly responsible citizen of our

world.

7.9 Innovative Projects

The sample group were asked how important the following objectives are for

undertaking innovative projects in their business (using a 6-point scale where 1=pretty

not important, 2=rather not important, 3=equal, 4=rather important, 5=pretty important

and 6=very important). The results indicate that the two most significant objectives for

undertaking innovative projects are to open up new markets and to extend the existing

product/service range (See Figure 22 below). Collectively, 81.4% found both objectives

to be important with 40.7% scoring ‘opening up new markets’ with a 7 on the scale.

Entering new technology fields was the least important objective to the sample with

22.2% finding it not important. When how important introducing a new generation of

products/services is for undertaking innovative products in business, 72.3% of the

participants found it to be important with 37.9% scoring it a 7 on the scale.


46

Motive to Found a Business

strongly

disagree

pretty

disagree

rather

disagree

equal rather

agree

pretty

agree

strongly

agree

N

To make money and become rich. 12.5 8.3 20.8 16.7 20.8 12.5 8.3 24.0

To mainly achieve financial success. 8.0 8.0 8.0 16.0 24.0 16.0 20.0 25.0

To advance my career in the business world. 20.0 8.0 4.0 12.0 24.0 20.0 12.0 25.0

To be able to signal my capabilities to others (i.e., future employers,

colleagues). 12.5 0.0

4.2 12.5 16.7 41.7 12.5 24.0

To solve a specific problem for a group of people that I strongly identify with

(e.g., friends, colleagues, club, community). 8.3 4.2 8.3 20.8 16.7 25.0 16.7 24.0

To play a proactive role in shaping the activities of a group of people that I

strongly identify with (e.g., friends, colleagues, club, community). 16.7 4.2 12.5 12.5 12.5 29.2 12.5 24.0

To solve a societal problem that private businesses usually fail to address

(e.g., social injustice, environmental protection). 16.7 16.7 8.3 20.8 20.8 4.2 12.5 24.0

To do something that allows me to enact values which are core to who I am. 7.7 0.0 0.0 23.1 19.2 19.2 30.8 26.0

To play a proactive role in changing how the world operates. 16.7 8.3 8.3 8.3 25.0 20.8 12.5 24.0


47

Importance to Founder

strongly

disagree

pretty

disagree

rather

disagree

equal rather

agree

pretty

agree

strongly

agree

To operate my firm on the basis of solid management practices. 7.1 0.0 0.0 17.9 25.0 17.9 32.1

To have thoroughly analysed the financial prospects of my business. 0 3.8 3.8 7.7 34.6 23.1 26.9

To provide a product/service that is useful to a group of people that I strongly

identify with (e.g., friends, colleagues, club, community). 3.7 3.7 0.0 11.1 11.1 25.9 44.4

To convey to my customers that I want to satisfy their needs rather than just to do

business. 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.6 14.3 35.7 46.4

To be able to express to my customers that I fundamentally share their views,

interests and values. 0.0 7.7 3.8 3.8 19.2 23.1 42.3

To be true in serving a group of people that I strongly identify with (e.g., friends,

colleagues, club, community). 3.7 3.7 7.4 22.2 18.5 44.4

To be a highly responsible citizen of our world. 3.7 0.0 7.4 3.7 29.6 29.6 25.9

To make the world a “better place” (e.g., by pursuing social justice, protecting the

environment). 11.1 7.4 0.0 7.4 22.2 25.9 25.9


48

Figure 22: Sector of upcoming business

7.10 Performance

A significant proportion of the sample (89.3%) indicated that their business is

generating sales revenue, with 82.1% confirming that their sales revenue covers the

costs of the business. Only 21.4% reported that their business is not making a profit.

The report then asked the participants to indicate how well their business performs in

the following aspects in comparison to other businesses selling similar

products/services (using a 7-point scale where 1=very poorly, 4=equal and 7=very

well); this is presented in the graphic below. In terms of profit-making, 25% of the

sample said that their business is performing very well against businesses selling similar

products and services.

6.9

7.4

3.7

14.8

10.3

3.7

7.4

7.4

10.3

7.4

7.4

14.8

10.3

22.2

14.8

14.8

24.1

29.6

25.9

25.9

37.9

29.6

40.7

22.2

0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0

Introduce new generation

of products/services

Extend product/service

range

Open up new markets

Enter new technology

fields

Importance of Innovative Projects

pretty not

important

rather not

important

equal

rather

important

pretty

important

very

important


49

Sales growth was an area in which the sample felt they were performing best against

competitors (55.5% in total); accordingly, 25.9% of this group scored this area a 6 on

the scale. In reference to market share growth, 48.1% indicated that they were

performing well against the 40.7% of those who indicate poor performance, with 22.2%

performing very poorly. Job creation was the lowest scoring aspect with 51.8%

indicating that they are performing badly against competitors, with 40.7% scoring it a

1 on the scale.

0

11.1

22.2

40.7

14.3

11.1

7.4

7.4

3.6

7.4

11.1

3.7

28.6

14.8

11.1

11.1

21.4

18.5

22.2

14.8

7.1

25.9

14.8

14.8

25.0

11.1

11.1

7.4

0 20 40 60 80 100

Making profit

Sales growth

Market share growth

Job creation

Performance of Firm

Very poorly

pretty

poorly

rather

poorly

equal

rather well

pretty well

very well


50

2016 GUESSS Report Ireland

Author Details

Dr. Eric Clinton, DCU Business School, Dublin City University ([email protected])

Dr. Eric Clinton is the DCU Centre for Family Business and a Lecturer in the Economics,

Finance and Entrepreneurship group at DCU Business School. His research interests are

primarily concerned with strategic entrepreneurial practices in multi-generational family

firms. In particular, seeking to understand how family firms can foster entrepreneurship

across generations and thus improve their transgenerational potential. His PhD was awarded

from the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School UCD. He has published in leading

journals such as Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,

Entrepreneurship Research Journal, and Family Relations and presented at leading

international conferences such as the Academy of Management Conference, Babson College

Entrepreneurship Research Conference, and the EIASM Family Firm Management

Conference.

Roisin Lyons, DCU Business School, Dublin City University ([email protected])

Roisin Lyons is a Lecturer of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at DCU Business School. Her

PhD studies the effects of entrepreneurship education on the student and student team. She

has taught at both post-primary and university level, specialising in the areas of management

communications and innovation. She has lectured in Dublin City University, Dublin and

Princess Nora University, Riyadh and has won teaching awards for both posts. She holds a

B.Sc in Chemistry/Biology, a H.Dip in Education and a M.Sc in Business Management.

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